Sunday’s nerve-shredding 3-2 home victory over Aston Villa, which saw Pep Guardiola’s first team retain the Premier League title, set the seal on another remarkable season of achievement by our men’s team, Elite Development Squad and Under-18s.
The first of our title successes was confirmed late last month when Brian Barry-Murphy’s Elite Development Squad retained our Premier League 2 crown.
SHOP OUR PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS RANGE
City’s Under-23s were in inspired form throughout the campaign, especially after the Christmas and New Year break with our EDS going unbeaten from November 20 onwards.
And we sealed a second successive title in late April in front of 21,000 fans at Leeds’ Elland Road ground as we swept to a 3-1 win with City eventually finishing the season six points clear of West Ham.
That superb achievement was then swiftly followed by Ben Wilkinson’s impressive Under-18 charges.
Having already retained our Under-18 Premier League North crown earlier this month, finishing the season 10 points clear of Liverpool, City then followed that fine triumph up last week by winning the National crown for an unprecedented third time in a row.
A superb 2-1 victory away at Southampton in front a crowd of more than 13,000 set the seal on another magnificent campaign with the bulk of our Under-18 squad having also lifted the Premier League Under-17 Cup in early April while our Under-16s also won their league title.
The achievements of our EDS and Under-18s also set the seal on magnificent first seasons in charge for Barry-Murphy and Wilkinson who both took up the reigns last summer, succeeding Enzo Maresca and Carlos Vicens respectively.
And an unforgettable season of success was then capped at a raucous Etihad Stadium on Sunday where, in unforgettable fashion, Pep Guardiola’s City staged a stunning late second half fightback, scoring three goals in five minutes, to overhaul Aston Villa 3-2 and so retain our Premier League title.
It was a fourth Premier League title in five seasons for City and was Guardiola’s 11th major trophy in his six incredible years at the Etihad helm.
It meant we became the first Club to not only win but now retain the Under-18 league titles (both regional and national), the Premier League 2 and the Premier League in the same season.
Congratulations to Pep, Brian, Ben and all their backroom staff on yet another momentous achievement.
